Man, oh man did it stink to be a Red Wings or Predators fan (or blogger) north of the border Wednesday night.

Flipping on the ol’ boob tube to catch the puck drop, hopeful watchers were instead welcomed with the third period of the isn’t-this-over-yet Sens-Pens Game 4 matchup.

Where are my tax dollars going? Anyway…

By the time Ottawa’s death rattle finally concluded, the Preds had beaten old man Hasek for a pair and, after an exchange of goals, Chris Osgood came off the bench to replace the 43-year-old.

So, now, after Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss, who starts Game 5…and beyond?

If I’m Mike Babcock, the decision is simple: I turn to Osgood.

Not only was he flawless in finishing out Game 4, Osgood was statistically the better of the two Wings’ backstoppers in the regular season (2.09 vs. 2.14 GAA; .913 vs. .901 SP).

And it’s not like we’re talking about Jimmy Howard here; Osgood, 35, was the Winged Wheel’s go-to guy during their Stanley Cup victory in ‘98 and has more than 750 games of NHL experience.

Yes, Hasek is a future Hall of Famer, but the rubber-band man has struggled in his past two outings and Osgood has earned the opportunity to be No. 1. (Click HERE to vote on who you think should start Game 5)

MORE CHANGES AHEAD?

After having their roster pillaged due to financial uncertainty last summer, Nashville could be in for more changes this off-season when they could lose UFA starting goaltender Dan Ellis and their top blueliner in Shea Weber. The 22-year-old restricted free agent is one of the game’s best young defensemen and will be a prime target for an offer sheet the Preds may not be able or willing to match.

TOOTHLESS MEN AND THE WOMEN WHO LOVE THEM

Sean Avery may have Elisha Cuthbert, Jarret Stoll may have Rachel Hunter, Mike Comrie may have Hillary Duff and even Tie Domi may have Kelly Carlson, but I think I’m most jealous of Jordin Tootoo for his maybe, maybe-not girlfriend, country music star Kelly Pickler.

IN A PERFECT WORLD…

Regular readers of my blog are well aware of my vehement distaste regarding the NHL’s loser-point system. (For those first time visitors, I’m highly in favor of a two-point win, no-point loss system.)

Here is how the NHL standings would look under the 2-0 and 3-2-1 systems. Division winners get the top three spots. Tiebreakers are first decided by games won, next by record vs. team, and finally goals-for.

I’m thinking the Hurricanes join me on board with change.

THN.com's Playoff Blogs, featuring analysis and opinion on the action from the night before, with insight on what happened and what it all means going forward, will appear daily throughout the NHL playoffs. Read more entries HERE.

Edward Fraser is the editor of thehockeynews.com. His blog appears Thursdays.

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